Integrted Human Practices

We consulted Dr Heba Alojail and told her about our project. We wanted to know her stance about using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in treating Skin and Soft Tissue infections. She agreed that AMPs are one of the promising alternatives to antibiotics on the basis of their broad scale of activities, and that AMPs lower probability of resistance appearance. She mentioned that more clinical trials need to be performed to confirm their long-term safety, efficacy, and optimal use in medical practice.

We told her of our plan to develop our engineered peptide into a topical cream to avoid negative side effects displayed by other treatment strategies. She agreed that topical therapy can reduce the side effects better than oral and intravenous therapy, however, topical treatment alone may not be sufficient for infections that reach deeper layers of tissue (such as those involving the muscles or the nervous system).

She suggested that we consider preparing to use either hyaluronic acid which can enhance transdermal penetration by moisturizing the skin and briefly breaking tight bonds. She believed that since hyaluronic acid is naturally a wound-healing and biocompatible molecule, it is a good candidate for SSTI treatments. She also suggested other Polymeric Carriers such as : Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) , nanoparticles or hydrogels, cell penetrating peptides, Lipid-based Carriers such as Liposomes or solid lipid nanoparticles and Cyclodextrins a cyclic oligosaccharides are capable of binding with AMPs to form complexes that protect the AMP against degradation, while at the same time enhancing its aqueous solubility and permeability through the skin barrier.

She told us that developing an effective treatment against all skin and soft tissue infections is complicated but not impossible. But as many different pathogens can cause SSTIs, such as fungal infections, Streptococcus species, Gram-negative bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA). Treatment formulation would be considered more difficult if a drug were active against such a wide range of these species. She further stated that AMPs having a broad spectrum of resistance against bacteria, could encourage resistance if used indiscriminately. This is a serious problem because frequent use may unintentionally encourage the development of resistant strains.

She advised us on importance to Optimize Skin Penetration, Safety and Toxicity, focus on Selectivity by designing our AMPs to target specific pathogenic bacteria without disrupting beneficial microbiota, engage early with regulatory agencies like the SFDA to understand their requirements for new AMP-based treatments. We asked us to put Sustainability and Ethical Considerations in our minds and stay informed about patterns of microbial resistance as the emergence of new bacterial can alter our AMPs.